By request, some thoughts on Lilly Ledbetter…

And with his signature women’s ability to challenge unequal pay has been restored.

Blink.

That’s right…restored.

Ms. Ledbetter was paid less than her male co-workers for decades. She found out about it through an anonymous note and took her employer, Goodyear, to court. Ledbetter won a $3 million dollar judgment that Goodyear then challenged all the way up to the Supreme Court…who, by one vote, reversed the original judgment saying that an employee only has six months in which to challenge unequal pay.

Never mind that Ledbetter didn’t know that Goodyear was paying her and they sure as shit weren't volunteering that information.

Well, Lilly Ledbetter campaigned for change and she got it. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is a tool to discourage other employers from doing as Goodyear did as much as it is a restoration of fairness to the worker’s right to sue due to unequal pay.

But the need for Ledbetter should stand as a reminder to us all that a huge piece of the Bush legacy sits on the United States Supreme Court…a pro-business, anti-worker and anti-equality majority.

As much as I applaud Ledbetter, I am appreciative of the clarification-based reminder that the masses must be protected from the real activist judges.

Maybe Obama can appoint some justices who can remember the oath of office... Oh yeah, and the constitution also. That was one of my main reasons for supporting him: you know, that two justices close to retirement so lets have a president who taught constitutional law appoint the new ones thing? I do have a question about Lily Ledbetter: does the new law mean she gets any of her settlement? Maybe the Google can tell me... -Doug in Oakland

Nope. According to Yahoo news anyway, she won't financially benefit from the legislation. In the same article, though, she says that she was fighting for "daughters and grandaughters" and that she was happy with the outcome. -Doug in Oakland

It's a sad commentary on American Society that this even has to be an issue. But then again, the same could be said of civil rights, gay rights, women's rights, etc. Hmmm. Maybe we aren't so great after all.

During the month of February The Lesbian Lifestyle blog is happy to host The Lezzys, the webs only all lesbian blog awards! We would like to take this time to welcome new readers to The Lesbian Lifestyle and thank those that have been with us since 2004. TLL is a blog comprised of over 250 lesbian authors that post their stories and tackle monthly topics. The Lezzys are a great way to highlight the best of the best in lesbian authored blogging.

2009 Lezzys Time Line

Nominations: Monday February 2nd from 9:00 am EDT through 11:00 pm EDT on the 9thVoting: Wednesday February 11th 9:00 am EDT through 11:00 pm EDT through the 18thWinners Announced: Monday February the 23rd at 9:00 am

Lilly Ledbetter's story is inspiring. It's a lesson too. Change is like that. You got to stick with it. Change is realized through time. Just like it's taken time for us to know and experience freedom more fully... and yet the journey to the promised land is still ongoing.